TALES OF FOREVER: The Unfolding Drama of God's Hidden Hand in History: Book One (original) (raw)
Related papers
Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, 2021
On the basis of an anthropological reading of a number of representative biblical passages – Deuteronomy 26, Judges 3, Daniel 2, and Revelation 20–21 – it is suggested that the evidence fits best the notion of cyclical, repetitive history. Within the biblical cycle, the phase of transition, the “liminal” or “threshold period” from the (shorter) bad, to the (longer) good and golden age carries special importance. Rivaling views of the biblical notion of time – biblical history as the linear “history of salvation” (Heilsgeschichte), and biblical existentialism with its emphasis on making a decision “now” – reflect either late-ancient or twentieth-century mentalities, rather than the archaic mentality of the Bible (and that of Hesiod’s Works and Days).
Logic of the Bible: God's Design in Redemptive History from Genesis to Revelation
Amazon KDP, 2024
Uncover the hidden architecture of Scripture in this captivating exploration of God's grand redemptive plan. This illuminating work reveals the golden thread of divine purpose woven throughout the Bible, showcasing how Jesus Christ stands as the magnificent fulfillment of every prophecy, promise, and hope. From Eden's dawn to the New Jerusalem's gleam, readers are guided through Scripture's most pivotal moments, gaining fresh insights that will transform their understanding of God's Word and their place in His unfolding story. Embark on an awe-inspiring journey through: • Paradise lost and paradise promised: The cosmic drama begins • Covenant chronicles: God's unbreakable vows across the ages • From slaves to sacred nation: The birth of Israel • The Divine Emperor's mission: Jesus' earth-shaking ministry • Kingdom without end: The church's rise and Christ's triumphant return Prepare for a revolutionary perspective on the greatest story ever told!
Making Sense of It All: Reflections on the Ancient Narratives of Genesis
2020
Do you want to make sense of life? Do you want a greater understanding of why the world is the way it is and why people are the way they are? Do you want a deeper understanding of Scripture and people of the Bible? Join us in ‘Making Sense of It All’ as we take a fresh look at the first 12 chapters of Genesis. These amazing stories have all too often be relegated to children's Sunday School classes or Bible story books. They are immensely important for our understanding of God, of the Bible, the people of the Bible, and our world today. Rather than focus on the minutiae of the text as many writers and commentators have already done, the approach here is to stand back and look at the narratives as ‘foundation stones’ of meaning for understanding all the rest of Scripture and life in this world. In looking at these ancient, foundational narratives, the author intersperses a new/ancient approach to understanding Scripture with numerous stories from his own life growing up in other cultures, serving as a missionary, and pastoring churches in three countries. After reading this book, the reader will have a clearer sense of what is going on with this world, a better understanding of Scripture, and tools for dealing with the good, the bad, and the crazy in life. ‘Making Sense of It All’ brings together theology, autobiography, storytelling, reflection for a more for a readable, thought-provoking look at Scripture and how the ancient narratives apply to our daily lives.
In: P. Verebics – N. Móricz – M. Kőszeghy (Hrsg.): FS Jutta Hausmann, Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig, 2017, pp. 267–274., 2017
The Old Testament contains several stories which prove problematic to understand and scandalous for people today, for these stories portray God as an unpredictable, irate, or even cruel lord. These stories urge even believers to try to neglect them, or, at best, to perceive them as obsolete levelsin terms of salvation historyof divine self-revelation, claiming that the fragmentary knowledge of God in preceding eras was replaced by the revelation of love and grace in Jesus Christ. And respect is due to those fearless theologians who dare confront these aspects of the stories, and even more so, they attempt (in the metaphor of a legal procedure of Eastern vehemence) to render these »witness accounts«considered as simultaneously (!) valid, but also irreconcilableacceptable in an »unsystematic system«. Naturally, all of these hermeneutical procedures contain parts of the truth, and this brief paper cannot be intended to alleviate all concern pertaining to every »difficult« passage of the Old Testament. However, a parallel biblical-theological survey of certain key Old Testament passages might prove helpful not only in bringing about a better understanding of the actual intentions of the given stories and in alleviating the seeming contradictions, but maybe also in a more correct conception of the message of the Old Testament. Such stories are, in my opinion, the ones that recordafter a primary, unsuccessful attempta second, successful beginning between God and humanity, God and Israel or God and the royal housenow with lasting results. The story of the flood (Gen 6-9) is one of the most well-known narratives of the Bible, but its cruel details and God's role in it trigger a sense of shock or, perhaps, of downright rejection in many. How could God decree the obliteration of all humanity, and, what is more, the destruction of almost the whole of nature? And if he has done so once, why has he not repeated that just punishment ever again? For right after the flood God himself states that, in spite of the flood, »from the time he is young his thoughts are evil« (Gen 8,21, cf. Gen 6,5).
Mything the Point: The Use of Mythology in Genesis 1-11
This article proposes that Genesis 1-11 recasts the myths of Israel's neighbours within a new theological historical framework to undermine the underlying world-view which makes myth-making possible. In order for the text to operate as intended the stories in Genesis 1-11 should first be treated as myths. Genesis 1-11, in contrast to the mythological world-view, draws a sharp distinction between God, the world and humanity. This results in the radical secularisation of the world. It exposes humanity as sinful but also creates the possibility for humanity to flourish by fully embracing what it means to be human and not divine. God is shown to be the creator of the universe and the one who is moved by compassion despite his anger at the evil which humans continue doing.
European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2015
The explication of the Christian hope of resurrection requires Christianity to spell out the way in which God actually deals in the world. Only if we succeed, with regard to past, present, and future, in making the talk of God’s special action in history plausible, are we able to reasonably assert essential Christian beliefs. Yet due to past horrors, present ongoing suffering, and a future that promises of little else, it is precisely this talk that has become doubtful. This article tries to describe God’s action as a process enabling freedom and love in order to develop a theodicy-sensitive speech about God’s action.
The Word, Prophecy, Time, Blessing: A Thematic Itinerary through Genesis 1
Ghana Journal of Religion and Theology, 2022
The article proposes a thematic reading of the first chapter of Genesis, through the analysis of three words: Word, Time and Blessing. The aim is to show how the narrative, located in the period of the Babylonian exile, was not intended to offer a nostalgic reading of the origins, but to offer meaning to the present, a complex present, difficult but open to God's surprises. Because of this dynamism, the text also speaks to our contemporaneity, often steeped in sadness and lack of meaning, offering our generation the image of the divine dream of a world governed by the gentleness of the 'word.'